Rome, Dhu-AlQa'dah 26, 1436, September 10, 2015, SPA -- European Union navies could start intercepting and destroying migrant smugglers' boats in the Mediterranean before the end of this month, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Thursday, dpa reported. The EU launched the Eunavfor Med mission in June, but to date it has stuck to intelligence gathering and rescue operations. "I think it is realistic to aim for the objective, by the end of September, to start the second phase of the operation decided by the European Union," Gentiloni told the lower house of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies. He said EU vessels would "identify and destroy" migrant smuggling boats in high seas. "The possibility of doing this in international waters is within our reach and I think we can do it in the month of September," he added. --SPA 14:51 LOCAL TIME 11:51 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w